Sunday, 30 June 2013

{Near
Trivandrum in Kerala,there is a remnant wetland called Punchakari,which has been a
haven for birds and bird watchers alike for the past several decades.I
first visited this place 30 years back and I was astonished to see the
sheer profusion of bird life.The mud flats of Punchakari had a greater
abundance of winged visitors than even the coastal mud flats.

But
over the years this magnificent bird habitat has undergone systematic
destruction.A great part of it has been purchased by land mafias for 'construction purposes',and annihilated .Farmers have abandoned paddy
cultivation in favour of more profitable dry land crops resulting in
loss of wader habitats.Little remains today to remind one of the lost
paradise I used to see in the 80's. Gone are the vast flocks of
egrets,cormorants,plovers,darters,ibises,terns,king
fishers,wagtails,teals,stilts etc.In their place one now sees stragglers
prodding about,facing the inevitable uncertainty of the future.I
decided to visit Punchakari just to see what of left of this once
magnificent bird habitat.]

As is my wont,I reached Punchakari before sunrise and took up a suitable
vantage point to await events.Eventually the eastern horizon started
turning red and a vague orange orb appeared as if from nowhere which
soon became too bright to look at.

I sat transfixed as the celestial drama unfolded before my very eyes,a drama that had been enacted long before life originated on Earth.So enchanting was the vision that I nearly forgot the real purpose of my visit. Reluctantly I stood up and glanced around.I had a quick change of dress and got ready for work.

At first,the sleepy wetland was loath to reveal her secrets.But gradually,I sensed rather than saw, some figures moving in the mist.

Slowly,ever so slowly,the wetlands were waking up.....

But not all were living beings,

no wetland scenario would ever be complete without them.

Mist still clung tenaciously to the wetland,

But I knew it would eventually loosen it's grip to retreat in defeat before the advancing army of the sun's rays.

I walked around slowly looking for birds.It seemed rather sad having to look for birds in what had once been a avian paradise.

I knew they would eventually show up as the day brightened.

And sure they did,one species after another...

Sand pipers...

A sleepy little egret,hoping to catch the early worm..

A family of black drongos,feeling the chill...

A pair of small blue kingfishers,unmindful of the morning mist...

A couple of cattle egrets in the golden hue of sunrise...

Birds were there of course, but I was as much astonished by their present scarcity as I had once been by their past abundance .With more winged visitors coming up,soon birds were everywhere..

I decided it was time to pull out the binoculars.

A median egret and a little egret wait for customers...

A large egret comes on land showing off his dimensions..

2 purple moorhens sun themselves.

A painted snipe hurriedly makes himself scarce among the water hyacinth weeds..

A small blue kingfisher dares unwary fish to stray within range..

A large egret starts the day's hunt..

A blue-tailed bee eater on the look out for reckless insects..

A swallow relaxes after an insect-catching sortie..

A pair of blue tailed bee eaters ,ready for action..Woe betide any over-ambitious insect that dares to show up..

A mixed flock of egrets,wary of my presence..

A small green bee eater waits for ground insects..

A pretty ..but ruthless killer of insects

A black drongo, another ferocious insect hunter.. decides to attack insects in their own lair,the reed beds..